Galatians 5:16-26

International Children’s Bible

The Spirit and Human Nature

¹⁶ So I tell you: Live by following the Spirit. Then you will not do what your sinful selves want. ¹⁷ Our sinful selves want what is against the Spirit. The Spirit wants what is against our sinful selves. The two are against each other. So you must not do just what you please. ¹⁸ But if you let the Spirit lead you, you are not under the law.

¹⁹ The result of sin’s control in our lives is clear. It includes sexual immorality, impurity and wild living, ²⁰ worshiping false gods, doing witchcraft, hating, making trouble, being jealous, being angry, being selfish, making people angry with each other, causing divisions among people, ²¹ having envy, being drunk, having wild and wasteful parties, and doing other things like this. I warn you now as I warned you before: Those who do these things will not be in God’s kingdom. ²² But the Spirit gives love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. There is no law that says these things are wrong. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their own sinful selves. They have given up their old selfish feelings and the evil things they wanted to do. ²⁵ We get our new life from the Spirit. So we should follow the Spirit. ²⁶ We must not be proud. We must not make trouble with each other. And we must not be jealous of each other.